


Cryptobiology

by firegrilled



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cryptid Hunter Marco, Cryptozoology, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Horror, Jean's just along for the ride and trying to get a bf, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-28 12:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19811899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firegrilled/pseuds/firegrilled
Summary: When Marco Bodt asked his notoriously skeptical roommate Jean Kirschtein if he wanted to spend spring break looking for cryptids, he was pleasantly surprised when readily agreed. While Marco had his eyes set on there ‘titans’ Jean’s gaze was set on his close friend.





	Cryptobiology

The car lights blinked twice as Jean pressed the lock button on the key fob, a little horn signaling that it successfully closed. He turned clicked his phone on and quickly checked the battery, a bit surprised by the half charge and the fact he actually got signal out here. He pocketed the fob and his phone. Jean began the mini hike back to their campsite, mumbling to himself, “Who would’ve guessed leaving it in the car actually did have a benefit?”

Through the treetops Jean could see the dark pastel colors of the setting sun but the thick foliage of the pine tree forest hid most of it, making the sky feel unnaturally dark earlier than usual. With the click of a flashlight the path back to camp was more than illuminated. Hiking boots crunched over the dead plants and twigs that fell during winter, just now being revealed as spring took ahold. The hike back to the camp reminded Jean of his poor decision to accompany his roommate on this trip.

“Some people wanna go to the beach and others wanna go abroad for spring break. But what does Marco Bodt wanna do? Go to the fucking boonies to try and catch make believe creatures,” Jean grumbled to himself. He knew he could’ve easily ignored his roommate’s request to join him. Hell, all their friends did. But Jean couldn’t turn down the chance to spend some alone time with his best friend. He had his own illusive thing he wished to capture.

When Jean arrived back in camp his anger evaporated as soon as he laid eyes on Marco leaning over the fire, feeding it some branches they acquired through their adventure in the woods earlier. A cooler sat next to Marco as he cooked some marshmallows on a stick. A paper plate with four graham crackers were on the stump next to him.

Marco looked up and waved Jean over.

“Hey, did you find it?” He asked while Jean sauntered over to the squeaky lawn chair he deemed suitable for this trip.

“Yeah, the piece of shit fell out of my pocket and landed in between the seat and door. Still got half battery though. You getting signal out here too?” Jean wondered.

Marco briefly checked the phone in his pocket and nodded. “Yeah, actually.”

Jean nodded, at least they had that. “Can I use that power brick of yours tonight? Mine was dead in the car.”

Marco frowned upon hearing that news.

“I told you yesterday to charge it! It’s not gonna last out here for the week if we both use it.”

Jean’s eyebrows shot up with that piece of information.

“The week? You said this was gonna be like three days tops. We were gonna spend the rest at the beach!”

Even in the firelight Jean could see Marco’s cheeks redden. He bit his bottom lip and averted his eyes from Jean’s gaze, looking like a kid with their hand caught in the cookie jar.

“Yeah, well I was hoping we could stay longer. I talked with Ymir and both her and Histoira are just up the road looking for the Jaw Titan too.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jean let out an exasperated sigh.

“Ymir and Historia? You classmates?”

Marco nodded, only ticking Jean off more. Of course they weren’t even out here alone.

“Jesus Christ, Marco, there’s no such thing as Sasquatch or any of those weird creatures! I can understand camping for a while but an extra day or two won’t make the difference here.”

Jean took a deep breath and made eye contact with Marco again, instantly regretting his words.

Marco’s face fell and he stared at the crispy marshmallows. He withdrew them from the fire and sandwiched it between two of the three crackers on the plate. Rather than answer Jean, he quietly nibbled on the sugary treat.

A pang of guilt shot through Jean’s chest. The campfire crackled in front of him as a pair sad eyes met his irritated ones. He finally spoke, “Sorry, I’m sorry… It’s just been a long trek to get here and I’m tired. We spent the whole day looking for footprints and shit and all we got to show for it are sore legs and some videos you took of those cute deer.”

Marco frowned at his best friend’s attitude but quickly put on his usual smile. “I know it’s a long distance but it’s totally worth it.”

Shaking his head, Jean walked over to the cooler they lugged all the way from the parking lot and pulled out an ice cold beer.

The hollow echo of the can cracking open caught Marco’s attention and he extended a hand.

Jean tossed him a can, covering the cooler once more and returning to his seat.

“You’re the only one who would want to spend spring break out in the barrens to try and go monster hunting. I just don’t know how you convinced me to join you in this endeavor,” Jean replied, half lying. He knew exactly how Marco convinced him to go on this wild goose chase: that damn perfect smile of his.

“Because you want to be proven wrong,” Marco guessed.

Also true.

“Yeah I don’t think you’re going to overturn years of scientific proof with a weekend trip, buddy, but you do you,” Jean chuckled, taking a sip of his beer.

“I mean, they’re called cryptids for a reason! Just think though, being able to actually see and document them… I can’t think of anything more fun or cool.”

Marco downed his beer enthusiastically as he ranted on the possibilities.

“I think you mean horrifying. Finding something creepy and unknown out in the woods? That’s how you end up in a horror film,” Jean disagreed, shivering at the thought. “So what are we even trying to find out here anyways? Sasquatch? Yeti?”

“Titans,” Marco quickly corrected him.

“What now?”

“I mean we’re not looking for all of them but out here they’re called titans.”

Jean quirked an eyebrow. He leaned back and downed the rest of his drink, trying to build up the liquid courage to ask what he wanted. He quickly determined he’d need more to achieve that.

Getting to his feet to gather more beer, Jean decided to buy himself some time by asking Marco more questions.

“Aren’t they all just called cryptids? What’s special about the ones out here?”

Upon hearing Jean’s question, Marco’s face lit up. He drank the rest of his can before crumpling it and grabbing another.

“So get this. You know how most of us can trace our ancestry back to the Eldians? Well they had legends about a lot of the monsters we call cryptids but colloquially they were known as titans. Some were more direct translations than others. Take Sasquatch. They had something similar but called him the Beast Titan. He was like 30 meters tall and gigantic, but he wasn’t even the tallest one! There’s one called the Colossal Titan that’s 100 meters tall,” Marco started explaining, his excitement bubbling over. He only paused to take more swigs of his beer.

The zeal of Marco’s speech melted Jean’s heart a little. Seeing Marco so passionate and thrilled to share one of his favorite subjects with him got the butterflies swarming in Jean’s stomach but the alcohol thankfully numbed the feelings.

“Anyways, maybe those stories are exaggerations but they called their cryptids titans.”

Jean nodded, the explanation making some sense. He took only a moment to think of something quite obvious.

“Wait, if they’re all so tall then why don’t people find them easier? Kind of hard to miss creatures so fucking huge.”

“That’s the best part! They’re like skinwalkers,” Marco answered, leaving it at that.

Jean stared at Marco as an awkward silence fell over their campfire. When he realized Marco wasn’t gonna reply, Jean gestured with his hand for him to continue.

“And those are what exactly? Sounds creepy.”

Marco’s eyes widened when he realized Jean wasn’t as well versed as he was.

“Oh, uh shapeshifters. They’re true forms are much smaller but if they ever fully transform they’re big. Like real big.”

“Real descriptive,” Jean chuckled, gulping down more of the bitter drink. “So are we looking for all of them this weekend?”

“Nah, just the Jaw Titan is out here specifically,” Marco answered as he finished another beer. He dropped the empty can in a plastic bag with a clang, hitting some of their earlier drinks. “This thing is awesome.”

“The name sounds weird. What’s it look like? Big and fuzzy like Beast Man?” Jean joked, his face crinkling from laughter.

Offering a devious smirk, Marco leaned forward. The lawn chair squeaked under his shifting weight, a loud pop escaping the fire. The light danced on his face as he recounted the details for Jean. “Nobody knows. The Jaw Titan is a shapeshifter like his brothers but in a smaller sense. He mimics peple and sounds. No one knows its true form except for the fact it has a huge smile, like staring at rows of shark teeth. Hence the name.”

Processing that information, Jean’s shoulders dropped. “Then how the hell are we supposed to find it?”

Marco laughed at Jean’s incensed reaction and stood up. He swayed a little at the sudden movement and stretched his arms. “Dunno, I was hoping to find weird tracks or something. Professor Zoe always says to look for things that are out of the ordinary.”

Jean groaned loudly, “You’re lucky I like you. That’s worse than looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Marco’s movements suddenly froze at Jean’s offhanded comment.

When Jean realized what he said he mentally slapped himself. Maybe the alcohol was working better than he hoped.

Before Jean could try and explain himself, Marco giggled and burped slightly. “Aw you like me, funny. I’d hope so, that’s why we’re friends.”

And the alcohol appeared to be working on Marco too.

Deciding to not let the moment pass, Jean clenched a fist and took a deep breath.

“Look, Marco. I was planning on tell you this after we were done but I had ulterior motives for coming here,” Jean confessed.

Marco tilted his head but remained silent as Jean continued.

“I do like you. As more than friends.”

Marco blinked twice, staring at him confused. He furrowed his brows as he interpreted that last sentence.

“Like, you like me like me?” Marco inquired.

Jean squinted at Marco before nodding.

“Yeah, I like you, like you. I have had a crush on you for the longest time.”

Marco bit his bottom lip, holding his breath as he processed those words. He scratched the back of his head and allowed his eyes to fall to the ground.

“So you wanna kiss me?”

Jean’s eyes widened, not fully expecting that kind of response.

“Yes?” Jean replied, not expecting Marco to suddenly walk over to his chair and grab his phone.

“Uh, I gotta pee. I’m going to use the outhouse,” Marco stated as he made a beeline for the path, lighting the way with his phone’s built in flashlight.

“What? In the parking lot? Just use the brush around here,” Jean suggested, throwing his hands up in the air in confusion.

“Nope, won’t pee on a tree. Be back soon!” Marco declared before he scurried of.

“Wait!” Jean reached out for Marco in the darkness, but he was already gone. The light faded not too long after. With Marco gone, Jean slapped himself on the forehead. “Brilliant move, Jean. Just had to dump it all on him at once.”

Time passed as Jean wallowed in his own misery. To cool his nerves he downed another can of beer, before he gathered all the empty cans into the plastic bag. He opened the one tent they brought for this trip and deposited the bag in the corner alongside Marco’s hiking pack. Seeing it now it made sense why Marco brought so much food and snacks if he planned on staying for the whole week. Though Jean might’ve killed that with his recent confession. Sleeping in the same tent was going to be super awkward now.

The sound of a footsteps drew Jean’s attention back to the camp and he turned to see Marco emerging from the woods.

“Oh, you’re back quicker than I thought,” Jean commented as he closed up the tent.

“Pee on a tree,” Marco replied. He watched Jean curiously while Jean grabbed another can to steady his nerves.

“And here I thought you were too much of a princess to do that,” Jean chuckled awkwardly, drinking once more to calm his frayed nerves. Alcohol got him into this mess and it sure as hell would get him out of it. He watched Marco walk over to his seat, though his movements seemed a tad stiff.

Jean quietly drank his beer while Marco’s eyes remained locked on him, as if studying him.

Marco reached over and grabbed a graham cracker to eat but his gaze never moved.

“Look, Marco, I’m sorry,” Jean finally relented, breaking under his friend’s judgmental stare. “I know I fucked up. I shouldn’t have put you in such an awkward spot. I should’ve waited until the trip was over after we found some proof of those damn titans before making a move.”

“Titans,” Marco stated before smiling. “The Beast Titan. The Colossal Titan. The Jaw Titan is out here specifically. That’s the best part!”

Jean let out a sigh of relief. At least Marco wasn’t downtrodden about his confession.

“Yes, and I should’ve waited for you to find one of ‘em or something before saying I liked you.”

Marco tilted his head, replying, “Aw, you like me.”

“I know, I know it’s weird…”

Jean rubbed his hands together as his nerves took a hold of him once more. He regretted ever bringing that topic up.

“So you wanna kiss me?” Marco asked back, his eyes studying Jean.

Jean immediately stood up, eyes wide. Did Marco just offer to… “I can kiss you?”

Marco smiled. “I can’t think of anything more fun or cool.”

Feeling absolutely dumbstruck, Jean’s jaw dropped for a moment. He quickly cleared his throat and regained his composure. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Jean walked over to Marco who remained in place but followed Jean’s movements. Once he was face to face with Marco he bent down and whispered, “Here goes nothing.”

He placed a peck on Marco’s lips and pulled back fast. It wasn’t anything like Jean expected. Marco’s lips were soft but cold. However it was too brief for Jean to make a judgement call. His nerves were on fire and his heart racing. He did it, he actually kissed his roommate and long time crush.

While Jean was practically a ball of nerves Marco looked unfazed by the action.

“You like me like me,” Marco commented.

Jean rolled his eyes at the childish reply, though the cadence seemed a tad off. As much as he wanted to kiss Marco again he needed to soothe his nerves. The fire popped loudly as Jean returned to his lawn chair to grab his beer. His phone buzzed in his pocket, causing him to jump briefly. “Jesus Christ! I forgot we had signal out here.”

Jean picked up his beer and took another swig of beer as he bothered to check the message.

**Marco**   
_Hey sorry for running off like that. I just needed some time to clear my head about what you said. I’ll be back soon._

He choked on his beer when he saw Marco’s text. He looked across the way to see Marco facing him, smiling. When the hell did he send that message?

Shrugging it off, Jean quickly typed a response for his friend to read. If he was gonna try and prank Jean two can play that game.

_Real funny Bodt_

Jean pressed send and rolled his eyes at his friend’s sense of humor. He kept his eyes on Marco as he felt an endearing warmth start to bubble up inside him. That grinning boy was finally his. He barely managed to get down another gulp before his phone buzzed back.

Quirking an eyebrow, Jean glanced at his phone.

**Marco**   
_What’s funny?_

Jean’s blood froze in his veins when he glanced up. He never saw Marco so much as look at his phone, let alone type a message back to him.

Marco continued to stare at him, still smiling.

A chill creeped up Jean’s spine as Marco’s mannerisms slowly felt off-putting to him. The long stare, the jerky movements, and even the curt replies. Replaying the last few minutes in his head left him with a sinking realization that made him want to wretch. Internally he screamed as he recalled all of Marco’s words. They were all snippets from his previous conversation.

He typed a reply to Marco.

_Before you get back could you grab my other power brick from the car? I left it somewhere in the backseat._

He got a confirmation within a few seconds that confirmed his suspicions.

That wasn’t Marco sitting across from him.

Jean slowly stood up, keeping a fake smile plastered on his face. He hoped the dancing lights of the fire didn’t reveal how his face had gone chalk white nor the fact that he was internally screaming.

“So all the beer has gone through me so I’m going to go pee at the outhouse,” Jean informed the Marco. He only made a few steps towards the path before he heard a reply.

“Pee on a tree,” Marco said, gesturing to the trees around him.

“Uh, no thanks. Gotta respect mother nature and all,” Jean said, smiling nervously. He had just turned around and flicked on his phone’s light when he heard a distinctly different voice behind him.

“What? In the parking lot? Just pee in a bush around here,” Jean heard himself speak behind him from the campfire.

Whatever composure Jean had left crumbled after that.

“Nope!” Jean declared, sprinting down the trail and towards the parking lot. Adrenaline drove him forward, especially after he heard inhuman cackling behind him. It sounded like an animal mimicking human laughter, which while funny on Youtube was downright terrifying in the woods in the dead of night.

Panic seized Jean’s mind. Run was the only word that crossed his fear-stricken thoughts. His phone illuminated the path, but at the speed he was going he occasionally tripped on a fallen branch or crunched a really loud leaf or bush. He didn’t care how much he scratched up his legs, Jean just knew he needed to get away from the campsite. Blood pounded in his ears, preventing him from hearing anything besides his own heavy breaths.

Relief surged briefly through his body when he not only saw the parking lot, but also when he saw Marco inside the car with his phone on trying to find Jean’s nonexistent power brick. He was shuffling around the backseat. Marco must’ve seen Jean’s light and waved to him, despite the confused look on his face.

“What’re you doing here? I can’t find your brick!” Marco shouted at him.

“Look under… the driver’s seat!” Jean called down to him.

Marco bent down, squirming all the way into the car to try and get the requested item.

Before Marco could uncover the truth, Jean used the adrenaline in his system to run down to the car. He quickly slammed the door to the backseat, scaring Marco. Jean slipped into the driver’s seat and quickly started the car.

“Jean, what the hell are you doing?!” Marco asked, his eyes wide as he tried to understand his friend’s odd behavior.

“Getting us the fuck out of here!” Jean declared as fumbled around the steering wheel in the car. He was happy the sedan had keyless start but cursed the lack of automatic lights. “Where the shit are the headlights?”

Marco frowned at Jean’s answer, immediately going for the door. Much to his consternation, he heard Jean lock it. “Okay, what’s going on? Either let me out or explain.”

“Marco, light, now!” Jean all but yelled, turning to his friend.

Marco’s anger subsided when he saw the panic on Jean’s face. He was white a sheet, sweating, and trembling. He’d never seen him act like that before. Rather than question him, Marco pointed to the left of the steering wheel.

“It’s right under the turn signal,” Marco frowned as Jean started finagling with the switches down there to get it to work. “What’s going on Jean?”

“I saw it. The fucking thing exists and we’re getting the hell out of here,” Jean stammered, his jittery movements preventing him from flipping the switch right.

Marco’s mouth fell open. “You saw the Jaw Titan?!”

“Yes!”

An expression of sheer joy and wonder replaced Marco’s confused frown. He quickly pulled out his phone and turned it into video mode. “You gotta let me out, Jean. I need to record it!”

Jean turned around to face the phone, squinting at the camera and raising his hand in the air like Marco was an idiot. “No!”

“Please? I gotta know what it looks like!”

Of course Marco was concerned with meeting the cryptid. That brief moment of disbelief steadied Jean’s nerves enough to get a grip on the light switch.

“It looked like you! Like hell I’m-” Jean started to yell back before the lights turned on and cut him off. “Jesus Christ!”

Jean jumped and grabbed onto the seat for dear life as a humanoid figure appeared in the car lights. He almost jumped again when Marco crawled into the front seat with his camera trained on this figure. The figure had dark hair but its back was turned to the car.

“Whoa, is that… The Jaw Titan?” Marco wondered, keeping his phone focused on the humanoid. He quickly noticed it was wearing the same cargo pants and green plaid button down he was wearing.

“Unless you have a secret twin who is an excellent ventriloquist then yes!” Jean shouted back at him. The gentle hum of the car provided the only ambient noise while Jean rearranged himself in the driver’s seat, preparing himself to take off.

The hairs on the back of Jean’s neck rose when the creature outside the car spoke again in Marco’s voice, “Aw, you like me.”

The Jaw Titan still didn’t turn to face them yet.

Marco’s smile faltered for a second before glancing at Jean, suddenly recalling that earlier awkward conversation.

“Jean, sorry for running away earlier,” Marco apologized, earning another look of disbelief from Jean.

“Not now! We got other things to worry about!” Jean replied, his voice much louder than he wanted but he was staring at a Marco doppelganger and he was beyond terrified.

This time Jean’s voice came from the creature, its tone lighthearted, “And here I thought you were too much of a princess to do that.”

Marco went slack-jawed. “Wow that is ama-”

As quick as Marco became astonished, it was replaced by fear.

In the middle of his sentence, the creature’s head turned to face them while its body remained in place. It turned all the way around to face them, wearing the same thousand yard stare from earlier and an incredibly off-putting smile.

“That’s unsettling,” Marco commented.

“So you wanna kiss me?” Marco’s voice echoed from outside the car, the creature’s smile falling into a frown. The change of emotion was brief as it grinned at them once more. Unlike before the grin grew unnaturally wide, splitting its face from ear to ear. It was then its lips parted to reveal shark teeth like Marco informed Jean earlier. In an inhuman voice it boomed back at them, “Again?!”

“And that’s downright terrifying,” Marco squeaked. “Jean?”

“Nope!” Jean shouted as he shifted the gear on the car.

Jean turned his head to look back so he could reverse out of their parking spot but the car unexpectedly lurched forward. He drove straight into the Jaw Titan, the car hitting it with a dull thud as an inhuman shriek pierced through the night sky.

“Fuck!” Jean shouted, quickly changing gears and backing out this time. He didn’t bother to see the condition of the cryptid as he sped out of that spot and switched to drive forward once more. The car sped ahead as Jean didn’t bother having any regard for the speed limit. His lights were on bright and they had a maze of winding roads to navigate before they were clear of the park.

The only noise afforded to them was the loud hum of the engine as Jean gunned it and their heartbeats loudly pounding in their ears. Eventually Marco broke the silence.

“Y-y-you hit the Jaw Titan… with my Ford Fiesta,” Marco spoke, his voice shaky. The camera was still on as he turned it to face himself. “I’m so sorry anyone who wanted to try and find it.”

“Sorry? For fuck’s sake Marco that thing was hunting us!” Jean spoke to him, his words curt and a mixture of anger and panic.

“We don’t know that,” Marco whispered, craning his neck to see behind them. He saw nothing in the pitch black darkness. “For all I know it was just having fun and we killed it.”

“Don’t be dense, Bodt! I’m not sticking around to find out if it’s alive or if it just wanted to have fun!”

Jean shook his head, slowing the car to take a turn up ahead. He hated dirt roads and forest paths on a good day and right now he never wanted to see one again. The car jolted as they hit a pothole in the dirt road.

“I mean the stories never mentioned it attacking anyone that I recall-”

“I don’t give a shit what the stories say! I don’t intend to be the first victim of some shapeshifting beast that tricked me into thinking it was you.”

Marco frowned at that, his nerves slowly calming down as they drove further. “At least we got it on film. That kinda makes up for the fact I left all my camping gear behind…”

“Really, Marco? That’s what you’re concerned about? Not that fucking creature that can sound like us or look like us but the camping gear?” Jean spoke, his anger starting to change into annoyance at his friend/crush. “I’ll buy you some more if we live this.”

“If we- Jean, you ran it over with my Fiesta! That’s like the greatest sin a cryptozoologist like myself can commit! You can barely afford rent, let alone replacing all that expensive gear!” Marco rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. He looked into his phone and shook his head. “You heard it here folks, let’s see if Jean can keep his promise.”

“Are you serious right now, Marco? What fucking planet do you live on that you’re worried about your-” Jean started to yell at him before an inhuman roar pierced the silence of the night once more.

Marco and Jean exchanged fearful glances.

The engine roared once more as Jean pressed the gas again.

“Well, it’s alive. Good,” Marco spoke curtly at the phone. He plastered a fake smile as his face paled. “I’m not culpable for killing it anymore.”

“Culpable? Good lord you’re an idiot,” Jean replied, sighing at Marco’s priorities. “God, why do I find you endearing?”

“Cause you love me?” Marco retorted, rolling his eyes.

Jean snorted at the unusually observant statement. “Yup.”

“What? Really?” Marco asked, causing Jean to process what he actually said.

Jean’s mouth went dry but he kept his eyes on the road. “I mean- oh shit!”

Jean slammed the break on the car as several sets of eyes reflected his high beams in the darkness. The Ford Fiesta fishtailed from the sudden breaking, but Jean managed to maintain control of it as it skidded to a stop in front of a small family of deer.

Marco flew forward and slammed into the dashboard while Jean held himself in position by gripping onto the steering wheel for dear life.

The family of deer scattered from the road except for the buck who simply stared at the car like it was an inconvenience.

Marco groaned as he rubbed his head, muttering some curses. “Ow, shit that hurt.”

“S-s-s-sorry,” Jean stammered, his heart still pounding in his ears. He nearly killed them with his reckless driving, even if the situation called for it. “Goddamn it… I’m gonna kill us before that fucking thing gets a chance.”

“Jean?” Marco asked, noticing how truly shell-shocked Jean was at the moment. For the first time since they arrived he actually focused on Jean. His poor friend was shaking like a leaf and looked like he was about to fall off the deep end. Tears were even starting to form on the edges of his eyes.

Jean didn’t even realize he was trembling until he felt Marco’s steady hand over his on the driving gear. His breath hitched when he looked over to see Marco offering him a tiny smile. Marco’s face softened as he rubbed a thumb over Jean’s hand, coaxing him to breathe.

“Marco?” Jean spoke, his voice frail.

“It’s ok Jean. The entrance of the park is right here. Just drive around the buck and we’re home free,” Marco nodded towards the animal, his voice soothing Jean’s frayed nerves. Neither noticed the deer glancing between them. “We can talk more about this on the road but- oh. Oh no.”

Marco’s voice dropped along with his stomach when he glanced at the buck, noticing it grinning, if a deer could even perform such a gesture. Its black lips pulled back to show jagged shark-like teeth. Despite the situation, Marco lifted his phone to continue filming, silently indicating something was wrong to Jean.

Jean turned in time to see the grinning buck, now slowly standing up. He first felt the goosebumps form on his biceps before traveling up his skin and toward his neck culminating in a chill going down his spine. His eyes widened and his ragged breathing returned. Seeing a deer stand on its hind legs was just all sorts of wrong.

“Oh come on!” Jean shouted.

An unnatural voice, like an animal trying speak but not quite getting the right cadence, spoke to them. “Leaving so soon?”

Jean and Marco immediately embraced each other as the Jaw Titan’s form shifted. The buck’s mass grew larger and larger, its flesh bubbling and bones cracking. The hooves separated into long emaciated fingers with dagger-like nails while the antlers lost their rigid structure and fell loose like wet noodles. It eventually separated into greasy black hair that hung over the face of the creature as its snout retracted into its face. Eventually it turned into human-like face, but much more weathered and scarred with beady black eyes and an enormous grin. Now it felt like they were staring at a shark bearing its full sets of teeth. 

Jean childishly pressed the lock door button over and over again when the titan peered down at them. It fell onto all fours, like a gigantic Smeagle. It was easily a few stories tall on hits hind legs but hunched over it was like a cat staring down a mouse.

“Jean, it was nice knowing you. I love you too,” Marco spoke, himself on the verge of tears as his life flashed in front of his eyes. He clutched onto Jean’s side for dear life yet still managed to hold his phone up.

A long tongue licked the Jaw Titan’s lips, drool spilling onto the dirt road. “Food…”

Adrenaline and fear gave Jean tunnel vision, but it focused his eyes enough that he spotted the familiar entrance to the park further down the road. Hearing Marco’s words broke Jean from his stupor enough that his fight or flight complex kicked in. Except being Jean, he opted to do both.

“Nope, this is now how I go!” Jean shouted, pressing the pedal to the foot of the car. He felt Marco’s grip tighten around him, keeping his right arm in place and griping the steering wheel. His left hand went to the high beams and flipped them so a bright flash shot out.

“Gahhh!” The creature recoiled from the light, giving Jean the window he so desperately wanted. It wasn’t a good idea but he had no other options.

“Jean what are you-” Marco began to ask as the car lurched forward.

“Fuuuuuuuck!” Jean screamed, now pressing his left hand to the car horn.

The Ford Fiesta’s horn blared as it bravely charged forward at the blinded titan, going right for one of its arms.

“Jean!” Marco yelled, pointing at the fast approaching arm.

Jean barely had control of the car but managed to swerve just in time, but not before running over two of the creature’s long fingers.

“Sorry!” Jean apologized to Marco as the car bounced over the titan.

A loud roar shook the car as they sped between the legs of the Jaw Titan.

Jean made a beeline for the front gate, determined to get out of here with his life and his presumed new boyfriend. He knew it wasn’t going to be that easy, especially when he felt the ground shake. Despite being pitch black Jean saw the outline of the titan in the moonlight in his rearview mirror.

Marco turned around, trying to keep the creature in frame. Despite the severity of the situation he started having panicked laughter. “You charged the Jaw Titan with my Fiesta. Again!”

“You can thank me later if we make it out of this!” Jean snapped back as he pushed the car to its limits. 

Another roar erupted behind them, causing Jean to crane his neck in time to see the Jaw Titan gaining on them.

“Aw come on, what goddamn bullshit is this?!” Jean cursed. He turned back in to see the entrance to the park.

“We’re going to make it!” Marco declared, breathing out a sigh of relief. As soon as those words left his mouth, five long nails punctured the roof of the car, pulling back with a loud metallic scrape. “We’re not going to make it!”

Jean and Marco ducked down as the roof of the car was torn off, the rear window shattering. The Jaw Titan peeled the top of the Ford Fiesta off like it was aluminum foil.

“Oh, come on!” Jean almost broke down right there.

The Jaw Titan roared loudly at the pair right as they reached the entrance to the park.

The entrance to the park consisted of exactly one road with two large wooden pillars that held up a large wooden sign overhanging the road to greet campers as they entered the park. It spelled out in giant yellow font ‘Welcome’ on one side and ‘Come again!’ on the other.

Never before was Jean as thankful for such a piece of cheesy architecture in his life.

Right as the ‘Come again!’ came into view it was too late. The Jaw Titan collided with the arch and it yowled, the wooden structure splintering from the force of the impact but not quite collapsing. It effectively splattered itself and ceased all movement as the Ford Fiesta sped off into the night, well above the speed limit.

Jean and Marco drove in silence for the better part of fifteen minutes as the cool wind of the night blew their hair all over the place. They dared not jinx their luck as the faint roaring of the park faded into the distance.

“Look up Trost Beach,” Jean requested, breaking the silence.

Marco quirked an eyebrow but finally turned off his recording camera and opened up Google Maps. “Like any part in particular or…?”

“Everyone is staying where the beach bends around the coast. I don’t know what it’s called but just get us there,” Jean replied, adjusting what was left of Marco’s rearview mirror.

“Well its four hours away.”

Marco glanced up at Jean, surprised to find him unfazed by that.

“Good, means we’ll be four hours away from that fuck. Might get a bit chilly with your new convertible though,” Jean replied, a tiny joke to help break the tension.

Marco bit his lip but shrugged, glancing back behind them.

“Pretty sure this thing isn’t legal to drive,” Marco frowned, sighing. “Down a car, down all my camping gear, and down almost everything valuable that I own. Well, at least I got it on video.”

“Hey you didn’t lose everything,” Jean reminded him. “Car insurance is a thing. You also have your life and… me?”

Jean glanced over and wiggled his eyebrows, earning a snort from Marco. Seeing his friend loosen up after getting understandably wound brought a genuine smile to Jean’s face. It helped him relax as they continued their long journey to the beach.

“No insurance claim on earth is going to cover cryptid attacks. Either way it’s still an expensive trade,” Marco shrugged, earning a groan from Jean. “Oh, and before I forget!”

Marco leaned over and lightly pecked Jean on the cheek.

Blushing lightly at the rather chaste display of affection, Jean pressed a hand to that spot.

“That is easily the most work I’ve ever put into getting a kiss,” Jean sighed, finally relaxing into the seat of the car.

“Don’t worry, Jean,” Marco leaned closer, practically whispering in his ear. “That’s not all you’ve earned.”

Jean’s eyes widened again as he felt some blood rush south. His mouth dried upon hearing those words, his voice almost croaking when he replied, “Really? What else have I earned?”

Marco pulled back and licked his lips, lifting up his phone. “Front page story on our campus newspaper. Probably.”

Choking on his spit, Jean coughed up a storm while Marco laughed at his reaction. “You goddamn tease.”

\---

“Here, on the left!” Marco pointed to one of the countless shabby hotels along the beach.

Mumbling a quiet thanks to whatever entity that allowed them to reach their destination with no other hassles, Jean pulled into the parking lot and found a spot away from the other cars. Hopefully no one would try to tow them before the morning. Glancing at his phone Jean realized that morning was in a few hours.

“What room are they in? And are we sure they’re awake?” Jean wondered, setting the car in park and turning off the engine. He got out of the car too fast and his legs almost gave out. His feet screamed at him for sitting so long.

“Considering Armin is the one I’m messaging and that he replied to me five minutes ago I think it’s a safe bet. It is spring break,” Marco reminded him. When he got out of the car he gasped as he shut the door. “Oh come on!”

“What is it?” Jean walked over and immediately put a hand over his mouth. “That’s not gonna buff out…”

A long gash scratched most of the passenger side door.

Marco hung his head and pointed to the door. “They’re on the first floor by the ice machine. Room 104.”

Nodding his head, Jean took Marco’s hand in his own.

They both exchanged nervous glances before offering each other reassuring smiles. Relaxing their hands, they walked into the hotel and made their way up to the first floor.

They made it to safety.

Marco knocked on the door and they waited a few moments before it opened.

Standing in the doorway was Marco’s lab partner and study buddy Armin. The short blond offered them a warm smile before his eyes drifted to their hands, his eyes widening for a moment.

“Come on in,” Armin greeted them.

“Thank you,” Marco replied as they entered the relatively spacious room.

Two queen beds made up most the room with a tiny dresser between them. In a small nook was a loveseat that faced a television that was currently hooked up to a laptop. Hip hop music, likely Reiner’s, blasted in that corner of the room where most of their friends sat drinking. From their current position it looked like they were playing a game. When the door closed they looked over at the pair that walked in.

Mikasa, Annie, Connie, Sasha, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Eren all waved to the pair. Jean and Marco didn’t disconnect hands fast enough before their friends noticed.

“Whoa-ho-ho, Kirschtein finally made a move!” Reiner teased, whistling as the pair broke apart.

“Fucking finally,” Eren added, earning a glare from Jean.

As their friends laughed at their momentary embarrassment, Jean rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, get it out of your systems,” Jean shook his head. He walked over to a table where a bunch of alcohol was haphazardly dumped. He found the strongest drink and started downing it straight from the bottle.

“Oi! That’s mine, Kirschtein! Use a Solo cup,” Eren snapped at him. To his surprise Jean flipped him the bird and kept drinking.

Jean got about three of four gulps before he came up for air.

“God I needed that,” Jean stated, coughing a lung as the drink burned the entire way down. “I’m gonna be feeling good in a bit. Marco you want any?”

Rather than reply his boyfriend, Marco took the bottle for himself and copied Jean.

That earned a few more surprised stares.

Marco set down the bottle and wiped his lips, choosing to plop on the bed.

“Can we crash here tonight?” Marco asked, awaiting the bliss of alcohol to hit him.

Armin and Eren exchanged curious glances, with Armin shrugging at the other.

“You ended your trip 3 days early just to drive here, drink my good shit, and then mooch my bed? Jean I’d expect that from but you, Marco?” Eren asked, frowning.

“Fuck off, Jaeger,” Jean spat, taking a seat next to Marco. He spotted the rising anger in his friend’s eyes but continued. “You wouldn’t believe the shit we went through tonight.”

“Okay, Kirschtein list-” Eren began before Armin placed a hand over his mouth, muting him.

“Enlighten us? Why did you guys come out here so early? And at this ungodly hour too?” Armin asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Couldn’t you have waited until tomorrow? Well, this morning?”

Jean and Marco bit their lips, glancing at each other. When neither spoke first, Marco took the initiative.

“We found the Jaw Titan and it tried to kill us,” Marco answered seriously.

The room was eerily silent for a few moments before Connie and Sasha broke out laughing, triggering some of the others to start giggling. Even Armin chuckled at the answer.

Only Jean and Marco didn’t find it funny.

Wiping a tear from his eyes, Eren followed up. “What? Did you find Sasquatch too? Seriously, why did you both come here? Did you wanna fuck on a bed or something? I’m pretty sure there are closer hotels than this place.”

“Shut the fuck up, Jaeger!” Jean raised his voice, effectively silencing everyone. He started shaking from anger. “We didn’t drive in the dead of night and leave all our shit behind because we wanted to fuck! That goddamn titan found us, hunted us, and turned Marco’s Fiesta into a convertible. If you want proof, go check it out. There’s even a gash from where it scratched the car.”

Their friends dropped their smiles and looked at everywhere but Jean and Marco.

“I got it on video!” Marco stood up, pointing to his phone.

That got their friends’ attention.

“You did?” Reiner asked, his eyes looking to Bertl and Annie.

“Yes, its on the cloud. We can watch it on the TV!” Marco walked over to the television, their friends getting out of the way.

They all ran over to the loveseat and waited while Marco logged into the website his phone backed up its data to. Sure enough, the video was there alongside some other thumbnails. Marco pressed play and Jean’s ragged breathing came blared from the TV before Marco’s voice asking to go record the Jaw Titan.

Everyone watched in silence until the Jaw Titan appeared on the screen in the headlights dressed like Marco.

Connie and Sasha’s eyes widened, their jaws dropping. Reiner, Bertl, Annie, and Eren pressed their lips together while Mikasa remained emotionless. Armin hid his expression with his hand, choosing instead to study the video. They remained this way until Jean attempted to back out and instead rammed the creature.

“Oh shit, you hit it with the car?” Connie reacted, almost jumping out of his seat.

Annie and Bertl’s eyes widened while Reiner and Eren covered their mouths, some chucking escaping them.

For the rest of the video the reactions followed similar with Sasha and Connie providing shocked commentary and the others watching. Only Eren and Reiner tried to hide their snickering but failed. At the end of it they burst out with full on laughter when the Jaw Titan crashed into the welcome sign.

Jean, Marco, Connie, and Sasha all looked at them like they were crazy while the other simply shook their heads.

“What’s so funny?” Jean wondered, glaring at the two. “We almost died!”

Eren and Reiner exchanged incredulous looks before falling to the floor in laughter.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Eren wheezed, tears forming on the edges of his eyes. He wiped them away and tried to regain his composure. “It’s just that- oh my God- you find a titan and then you hit it with a car…”

“And then you bicker like a married couple!” Reiner added, clutching his chest. “Oh God that’s the best thing I’ve ever seen.”

Annie, Bertl, Armin, and Mikasa all shook their heads again.

The laughter only incensed Jean further and he stood up. “Us almost dying is hilarious to you?!”

Upon seeing Jean’s seething anger, Eren and Reiner regained their composure and quickly apologized.

“Sorry for laughing at your pain, it’s just-”

A loud knocking interrupting them, earning confused expressions from most of the people in the room.

Annie got to her feet and went to answer the door. Before opening it she turned back and informed everyone. “I told Historia and Ymir that everyone was here. I called them a few minutes after Armin told us you were coming.”

That piece of information inspired panic in Eren and Reiner.

“You did what now?!” Eren replied as Annie opened the door. He quickly stood in front of Marco and Jean as Ymir entered the room.

“Where the fuck are they?!” Ymir demanded, her eyes scanning the area. She spotted a confused Jean and Marco in the nook with everyone. “There you two are!”

She made a beeline for the pair, leaving them confused.

Ymir sported a wicked bruise on her forehead and it looked like two of her fingers were broken. She barred her teeth at them, revealing a very familiar set of shark teeth.

Jean’s eyes widened when he saw those, quickly pulling Marco behind him.

“Nope, get the fuck away!” Jean shouted at her as she drew closer.

Eren and Reiner stood in front of her as she approached.

“Calm down, Ymir,” Reiner ordered her, earning an inhuman snarl from her.

“Let me at them!” She demanded.

“No, back off!” Eren denied her.

She ignored them and tried to push her way through but they managed to restrain her while she glared at both the boys.

Now Connie and Sasha were pressed back against the corner, scared by their friend’s change in appearance and demeanor.

“Leave them alone, Ymir,” a chipper voice called from the door. Historia, the last of their friends, walked in. “Get over here. We talked about this!”

“Listen to your girlfriend, back off,” Reiner repeated, earning another snarl from Ymir but she did as requested. She walked back to the doorway and wrapped her arms around Historia.

The two girls walked to the bed furthest from everyone and took a seat.

“Jean, Marco, I’m sorry for Ymir’s behavior. We have all your camping gear in our car. I’ll also cover the damages from her little… stunt,” Historia apologized, adding to the group’s confusion.

“Excuse me, but could we take a step back and get a few things straight?” Marco asked, a bit bothered by some of their friends’ reactions. Only Connie and Sasha appeared to be reacting the way he expected. “Like why most of you aren’t surprised by the fact Ymir is apparently the Jaw Titan.”

Everyone but Jean, Marco, Connie, and Sasha exchanged various expressions but eventually nodded.

“Cat’s out of the bag. And they got it on video so it doesn’t matter,” Bertl sighed. “The short version is yes Ymir is a titan. She’s one of the few Jaw Titans running around.”

“There’s more?” Jean inquired, his shoulders falling at that revelation. “I’m never gonna sleep again…”

“Yes, there are multiple titans and multiple people can be said titans. Some people of Eldian descent manifest their forms when they’re young and we’re taught to hide it. It isn’t exactly something that’d be accepted by society. A few of us are titans. Eren, Reiner, Bertl, Annie, and myself are all examples of this,” Armin explained with more clarity. “Mikasa knows because she grew up with us and dated Annie. We didn’t wanna tell you four because it’s hard to believe. And we didn’t want you to think we were crazy. It was already really hard for us to make friends and then you all happened along.”

Marco nodded, processing this information quicker than the other three.

“Okay I get that but why did you hunt us? We’re friends!” Marco asked Ymir.

“You hit me with your fucking car!” She narrowed her eyes at the two.

That got Reiner and Eren cackling again, though appointed stare from Ymir shut them up fast.

“It was an accident, but what did you think would happen when you pulled that Exorcist bullshit on us?!” Jean retorted.

“You literally stood in front of the car,” Armin agreed, earning another pointed glare. “What? They caught the entire thing on video. We saw what you did.”

“All of it?” Ymir replied, her face paling. “You recorded that?”

“Everything from us hitting you with the car to us escaping the park. Thanks for turning our car into a convertible by the way,” Jean gave her his best icy stare. It was then he felt himself start to go light headed as the alcohol started to kick in.

“You ran over my hand!”

“You turned into a deer, then transformed in front of them, and then called them food, how did you think they were going to react?” Annie gave Ymir a dull stare.

Historia craned her neck to look at her nervous girlfriend. “If all of that is true, you’re so in the doghouse.”

Ymir’s anger subsided as embarrassment started to seep in.

“Some of it might be true…” She admitted.

“All of it is true,” Jean confirmed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Hey, I got you two to finally become a couple!” Ymir defended herself. “Oh, did you tell your boyfriend that you kissed me?”

Everyone’s faces turned to Jean who turned a deep shade of red.

Marco tilted his head in confusion. “You did what now? Is that why she asked of you wanted to kiss again?”

Jean’s face flushed crimson and he actively avoided everyone’s gazes. “I thought it was you and that was before I figured out she was the Jaw Titan.”

Eren snorted once more but a quick glare from Jean ended that.

“That still doesn’t answer the question of why. Why did you do that?” Marco asked, wrapping an arm around Jean’s waist.

Now it was Ymir’s turn to avert her gaze, while she turned pink. “I knew you were in the area and liked titans. Thought I’d have some fun with a practical joke…”

A silence fell over the room while everyone processed that information.

Eventually Marco sighed and replied, “Thank you but please don’t ever play a prank on me or Jean ever again.”

“Okay,” Ymir agreed before yawning.

“So,” Historia spoke up, glancing between her girlfriend and the new couple. “Is everyone on the same page and we have no hurt feelings?”

Jean immediately shook his head. “Oh I got some feelings, but when that car is fixed and we get our shit back I’ll start to feel better.”

“Yeah, yeah, but are y’all fine with us being titans and shit?” Ymir wondered, gesturing to the bulk of the room.

Marco and Jean gave each other wary glances, while Connie and Sasha shrugged their shoulders.

“We’re fine,” Connie confirmed so all eyes fell on Marco and Jean.

“Give us some time. I mean it’s cool for me because I love cryptozoology but Jean…” Marco started, before Jean placed a hand on his shoulder and silenced him.

“I’ll get over it but I’m both pissed and terrified right now,” Jean clarified. “It’s been a really long day.”

The titans in the room nodded in understanding.

“Oh, before I forget!” Historia perked up, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a card sleeve. She threw it over like a Frisbee at Jean and Marco who caught it. A quick inspection revealed it to be two hotel room cards. “You two have your own room a few floors up. It’s the least I could do to apologize for Ymir. It’s private and had a nice big bed.”

“Thank you!” Marco immediately perked up. He stretched his arms before standing up to get his arms. “I don’t know about you guys but we’re exhausted. Catch everyone in the morning?”

A quick glance at the window showed the sun beginning to rise.

“Make that the afternoon,” Jean corrected, joining his boyfriend on his feet.

Everyone moved out of the way for them to leave and get some much needed rest.

Much to Jean’s surprise the new room proved to be bigger than their friends’ room, complete with a king size bed and its own television across from the bed. He immediately flopped onto the bed.

“Jean, that’s disgusting! We’re dirty…” Marco frowned, though the idea of joining Jean was very appealing to him.

“They’ll change it in the morning. Come on, we’ve earned this rest.”

Marco sighed but knew there was truth to his boyfriend’s words. Rather than argue with him, Marco stripped out of everything but his boxers and jumped on the bed.

“You’ve also earned some other things,” Marco informed Jean, winking at him. Watching Jean turn red with embarrassment never got old for him. “Now get out of those clothes so we can relax.”

“Yes, sir!” Jean felt a surge of energy and he disrobed down to his boxer briefs, joining his boyfriend in bed.

Both embraced each other before sleep lulled them off, cuddling until their strength returned to them.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the result of me binge watching creepypasta vids for like a week straight. The idea of Marco being obsessed with cryptozoology was very appealing and this just kinda of blossomed form there. I hope this story had some creepy moments and if you all agree please let me know.
> 
> As always feedback is appreciated and I'd love to hear what people's favorite parts were. Enjoy!


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